May 30, 2008

Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sin and the reunion of all Christians. I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer, and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.

I am fasting today for Mary Gibson's intentions and those of her soon-to-be order. I'm also fasting for Gianna DuPont's health.

May 29, 2008

Mass for Mary

The Entrance Mass for Mary Gibson of Veritatis Splendor blog has been rescheduled from June 6th to May 30th (tomorrow) at 5:15 p.m. The Mass will be in the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Cathedral of St. Paul-a Chapel with a special meaning to Mary.

May 27, 2008

I was indirectly tagged by The Crescat to do the 7 Random Things Meme. I also want to incorporate a reference to Terry’s daring meme.

Rules: Write whatever comes to mind about yourself.

1) I firmly believe that portable basketball stands were created by Satan to drive me out of my mind and tempt me to do violence. I have dreams of taking chainsaws to them-really.

2) I am frequently Cranky. I make a joke out of it and I try really hard to be light-hearted about it but it’s frequently not funny-see the Boulevard of Broken Men and the Frontage Road of Former Friends for proof.

3) I talk before I think and I often think but don’t talk.

4) I love to baffle people and confound their expectations (not a shock to anyone who reads this blog-LOL!)

5) If I were a dyke, I’d marry Salma Hayek in a Catholic Church because if you are going to be so far gone down the path to eternal damnation as to marry someone of the same gender why not make outrageous demands upon others to accommodate your sin?

6) Other than my Faith, I don’t take very much or very many people too seriously. I think we are all full of s—t but some of us have more constipation than others.

7) People are often shocked to realize I profess a Faith at all, much less that I’m a true Catholic. The shock is due to my often poor personal presentation as an Ambassador of Christ. For further proof: reread this meme and much of this blog! "nuff said.

Blog Birthday!

I Hear the Standing Thunder!

Geometricus is back and blogging! Stop over and visit him before he decides to go on a long hiatus again! For those of you who were at the Corpus Christi procession in this Archdiocese, Geometricus was a Cantor for the last couple of years!

May 25, 2008

Home

In the United States many of us are traveling this weekend because, for many, it is a 3-day weekend. Today, is Corpus Christi Sunday. It is also the day before Memorial Day: a day to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives for our country. It is also, for many, an undeclared All Souls Day. In fact, many people who do not celebrate All Souls in November use Memorial Day as an unofficial substitute. We pray for all the dead on Memorial Day-not just veterans. Though many of us may not decorate graves in November, we will decorate them on Memorial Day.

Today, we are reminded to eat the Body of Christ and drink the Blood of Christ in Memory of Him. Today, is a Memorial to His Sacrifice. Every Sunday, every Mass is, the Sacrifice but today it seemed especially obvious to me.

In many churches and dioceses, the Eucharist is carried in procession as a reminder that as we take Christ into ourselves when we receive Him so we must take Christ into the world. Unfortunately, the area I'm visiting this weekend does not have a Eucharistic procession. I missed not being a part of one. I went without never knowing of their existance for decades. In recent years, I've participated every year. Now, I did not realize how much I have come to look forward to it.

Later, I reflected upon that wherever we travel in the United States, even if we are not among the familiar, if we are properly disposed, we can receive the Eucharist. Even if we are in state of sin, we can still attend Mass. Wherever, we go where we can find a Mass we are home. Wherever the Lord is present is home.

Today, during his Homily, Father related a story of Chinese Catholics reciving Communion while hiding from the authorities in a thicket. If they had been discovered, they would die. They are willing to risk their lives to receive Him. They will travel great distances at great personal risk to receive Him. I'm sad because so many, and there are times when I've been one, can't bother while they are on vacation to attend Mass at a parish that is less than 5 minutes away.

So often when we are away from home, we forget where our true home really is. You'll check in with your loved ones to tell them you arrived safely but you won't check in with He who loves you most of all.

Please take time this weekend and always to remember and reflect upon the greatest Sacrifice and Memorial ever given.

May 24, 2008

Gone Fishin'

I'm spending the long weekend in northern Minnesota. My Dad and I took the boat up to Lake Winnibigoshish or "Winnie" as it usually called. Windy Winnie as I've called it for as long as I can remember.

Windy Winnie was truly windy today. My Dad only has a 12 foot Aluminacraft so we were rolling pretty good. I've always known exactly how the disciples felt on the Sea when the storm came up! There is nothing like a small boat in choppy water to bring home the evidence of how pathetic man is before the might of nature. I don't have the Lord in the bow to calm the storm. My Dad can do a lot of things, but not that! LOL! I love that little boat. My Dad has owned that boat since I was a wee tyke. I've had many adventures and memories in that humble craft.

My Dad announced about 8 years ago that after 60 some years of carting people around the lake, he was done driving the boat. Now, he sits in the bow and relaxes while I back the boat into the water, push it off the trailer, start the motor, guide us out, run the boat etc. etc. It probably goes without saying that I usually attract a crowd of guys at the boat landing. You don't see too many women putting a boat in the water and running the boat when a man is handy. I've yet to receive a marriage proposal from these gawkers but I'm sure it's because my Dad still manages to give them that "Dad-look". You know what I mean. I'm 40 and my Dad is pushing 70 and he's still chasing guys away from me. No wonder I'm still single. LOL!

At first, I was really happy that my Dad, who was always a workaholic, was taking it easy, than I realized his real game was to blame me if he didn't catch anything! LOL! I caught a few fish today and Dad was skunked. I recall last year he was skunked a lot too. Of course, he blames me for that since I'm the "guide". I tell him he gets what he pays for.

Good times, good times.....

Gentle Readers in the States: I pray your Memorial Weekend is a good one. Don't forget to remember a veteran or a deceased relative in your prayers. I decorated graves before I left the city. I know some of you do that too. If you don't live near a grave of someone you know, why not decorate the grave of a stranger? Or, pray for the repose of the soul of someone you don't know?

May 22, 2008

Just Because the Mountain is There, Does that Mean it Must be Climbed?

“Why did you climb the mountain?”

“Because it was there”

“Why did the chicken cross the road?”

“To get to the other side”

“Why did Adam eat the apple?”

“Because he could”

“Why do you sin”

“Because I can”

“Why do you dissent?”

“Because I’m free to”

We can do just about anything can’t we? We are, truly, legends in our own minds. It’s entirely possible that we could live our lives without limits, without restraint. But, just because we can live without boundaries does that mean we should? Because we are compelled to disagree, does that mean we must?

If my conscience does not bother me when I have sex with two guys every night, does that mean that The Christ’s teachings on sexuality and morality are wrong? No. It means, I’ve been either: poorly formed or willfully defiant. But, will I acknowledge either? Few do these days.

Rather than personally take responsibility and admit to either poor formation or my personal sin, it’s easier for some of us to project our failings out at someone or something else. “The Church is not perfect, so why should I be?” “I don’t have to listen to a bunch of pedophiles tell me what to do”

Rather than personally take responsibility and admit to either poor formation or my personal sin, it’s easier to try and change someone or something else rather than ourselves. “The Church needs to recognize that everyone is having sex outside of marriage these days and just change its teachings” “The Church needs to recognize gay sex as ok because x% of society says its ok”

For some of us to admit that we may just possibly be sinful and immoral is harder to do and more terrifyingly difficult than anything else we may ever attempt.

I’ll climb a mountain in Tibet but I won’t admit that I need to go to Confession because I used illegal drugs yesterday. I’ll swim the English Channel, but I won’t admit that it was sinful of me to miss Holy Mass last Sunday for no valid reason other than I was too busy prepping my bar-b-que to go.

If only Holy Church would rewrite the Catechism so everyone in the world can be on the same page as I am than I’d be truly happy. If only all of our leaders would join me in proclaiming that gay “marriage” is acceptable, only then will I be truly happy. If only the entire world could be as weighed down in the muck of sin and debauchery I’d be truly happy because than I will not be alone. My entire community will be as sinful, pathetic and wrong as I am. I’ll never have to listen to anyone on this earth tell me that if I’m claiming to be a Catholic Christian than I need to follow a rulebook. There won’t be a book. It won’t be in print. It will all be in my own head to do as I will.

May 20, 2008

Cluck, Cluck with Cathy: More Wedding Foolery

At the wedding I went to this past weekend, there was a moment during the reception dance when the DJ asked everyone from the immediate family of the bride and groom as well as the wedding party to come to the dance floor. As I said, the bride and groom have a lot of multiple marriages in their family and they also had many attendants so the floor was mobbed.

The DJ asked us all to join hands and he called for silence. Another cousin of mine, who scorns all things Christian, asked derisively if I thought we were all going to have to pray. I would have been shocked by that too, but for a different reason, since I thought God was pretty much neglected during the wedding.

I told her "Oh, no, we are out here to do THE CHICKEN DANCE! Just you wait for it"

"Nah, [bride's name] would not do that to us"

"Are you crazy? I've known [bride's name] my whole life. I used to change her diapers. She has my sense of humor. Trust me, we are cluckin'"

Lamest Chicken Dance ever. I mean, how can they expect anyone to do the Chicken Dance during the first 1/2 hour of the reception? You need at least 2 shots of tequila in you before you should be expected to do that nonsense. Good grief.

Housekeeping!

There is a mysterious new blog! Who's Sister Caprice? Who's Father? Who's Mother Jagermeister? Oh, oops, Mother Frangelico! It's called Brothers and Sisters of Perpetual Discernment. Check it out and help them pick a name for their monastery!

Don't forget to help Veritatis Splendor pay off her debt before she enters the Benedictines of Mary Queen of Apostles in a few weeks!

May 19, 2008

Wedding Etiquette

Everyone has been asking me since I got back (ok, just a couple of people but it sounds like I know a lot of people if I say "everyone"): "Gosh, Janice, Cathy, Recovering Dissident, whatever, where have you been?"

The confusion of what to call me fits in perfectly with this post. Confusion. Confusion about our relationships with other people.

This past weekend I traveled out of state to a family wedding. I'm blessed in that I know my extended family very well. That is also my curse-some of you know exactly what I mean.

The wedding took place in a Lutheran church that neither the bride nor the groom (nor either of their families) are members of, much less regularly attend. For some reason, I took malicious pleasure in the fact that the Lutherans are stupid enough to marry two people who have been cohabitating for seven years and already have two children together but what the heck do I know about love? My pleasure evaporated when I recall that I've known Catholics in similar situation who were married in Catholic churches.

If we, as a society do not change our sinful ways, the wedding invitation convinced me that Masters of Etiquette will have gainful employment for several centuries to come (assuming the Lord can tolerate the confusion for much longer). I think modern wedding invitations have as much text these days as the Book of Jude. They need a lot of text to try and clarify all the various relationships. I've also noticed invitations are getting larger. I don't get too many of the small, postcard size, wedding invitations anymore. Now, they are, frequently, the size of a Hallmark card (without any semblance of sentiment). I'd be really happy to get enough information from a wedding invitation to do the family tree-if I was actually doing it.

When you are dealing with a bride and groom who have parents, or grandparents who have been married or partnered up multiple times, who's name goes where? Let's see: where's my etiquette guide? Now, if the bride's mother is listed first without Mrs. or Miss in front of it does that mean she and the guy, woman, dog after her name are cohabitating but not married or is it that they are divorced? If the groom's grandparent's names are on there is that a reference to the fact that his Mom dumped him with her parents all the time between her 2nd and 3rd marriages? Oh, I see the bride's last name does not match her parents last name? What does that mean? The bride was married before or the bride's mother's dad's father was? If there is a period after the groom's Dad's name what does that mean if it's not a typo?

I can't wait for the day when I see a wedding invitation that says: Father of the Bride: Unknown Sperm Donor at Blue Door Fertility Clinic.

I know some people just think all this "liberation" is fantastic but it gives me a headache just thinking about it. If a middle aged person like me is baffled, just think what this all this confusion does to kids. How do you explain all this social dysfunction to a child? Most don't even try. They just shrug and say "Oh well, that's what everyone does" At least, that's what they do in my family.

I know there are some of you that don't think anyone should go to weddings like this. We should not affirm this type of sinful behavior. I'm happy they finally legalized it. If any of my family (besides an extreme few) were even Catholic, I don't think I'd go. I'd hope they would not even be married in a Catholic church if they are already cohabitating but I think we've all known some people who have been.

I said earlier "legalize" it. Yes, this wedding was in a church but it was obvious to me, painfully so, that none of them have a clue what they are doing in a church or what goes on in one. They were rude to the Pastor. They bristled when they were told they could not take photos in the Sanctuary or bring food and drink inside. The whole cermoney was just "something that should be done". They complained about the Scripture readings (because they were told they had to have some). They have no notion of why. What the heck do I know about love? What the heck did the bride and groom know about God? The wedding had nothing to do with God. It had everything to do with me, me, me. I need to have a big social event. I need to have lots of attendants to prove how popular I am. I need to wear beautiful clothes.

Great reception and big party after. That made a lot more people happy. In fact, a large number only showed up for the reception. Not that I blame them when the couple hardly gave the impression that being married in a church mattered to them. Their friends and family know they only did it in a church because they could. They know the couple has no deep faith so why should any of their guests pretend they do either?

The whole thing made me so sad and depressed. Pray for them will you? Pray for me too, thanks.

Pray for the newlyweds because a large number of the family were not invited to the wedding at all. This is not due to any social "cutting", it's due to the fact that the bride and groom were too unorganized to get addresses for most of the relatives. I know some family members would not have gone anyway, but I know they are going to be upset that they were deprived of their "God-given, Constitutional right" to decline an invitation. I don't know about your family, but there walk among us some who are unable to function if they can't check "not attending" on an invitation. Even if they could not have gone anyway due to some perfectly valid reason, they are not going to forget that they never even got the opportunity to decline. Oh, no. There are some who walk among us carrying their crosses on one shoulder and on the other they carry the boulder with the weight of all the grudges that they will not discard. These disgusted and angry people will be reminding the family of the "dis" at every family event between now and the day they die.

Happy Birthday!

The image accompanying this birthday wish may seem odd but it is an Icon of the Crucifixion showing the Five Holy Wounds of Christ. The icon resides at St. Catherine (Alexandria!) monastery on Mt. Sinai.

It is a personal wish from me to Terry as well as an acknowledgement of Terry's devotion to the Five Holy Wounds.

May 11, 2008

Broken Body

I propose the following: True Catholics perceive all Catholics as members of One Body. The Body of Christ. True Catholics are sad when individual members of the Body dissent, leave, or fall into sin. My hypothesis transcends any labels like: progressive or traditional, liberal or conservative. "That they all may be one" --a quote from John 17 that we just heard at Mass a few days ago is Jesus' prayer to His Father. If it was the prayer of The Christ than it is a desire that all true Catholics should want too. Not only want but strive for and help to make a reality.

Today, on Pentecost, a day when the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the Advocate descends to bring us the ability to express and carry the Word to all Nations, we are so divided we can barely carry the Word to each other. The people whose ears were open to the Word could hear it preached in their own language. Today, there are so many with their ears closed that it doesn't matter what language it's in-they still can't, or will not, hear it. We'll see, today, division in many forms: the colors, the desecration, the anger, the sin, the misunderstanding, the judgement.

Today, for many, their ears will be closed. They will be too busy with their personal forms of protest against the Word to hear it. Our new Archbishop told us that he is here as a pastor, not as a politician. Yet, for some, Faith IS politics when it does not conform to their personal idea of what the faith should be. The Archbishop is not a politician, he is here to proclaim the Word of God and to teach the Sheep (US) to whom he has been entrusted. If some prefer to call that politics, rather than an expression of the Faith we profess, then we should be sad that a member of the Body is ill.

I believe that anyone who perceives the Body as individual parts consisting of "us" versus "them" has it all wrong. To think so is to believe the Body is diseased. As anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of medicine knows, a diseased Body will attack itself to survive then slowly wither and die. To see the Body as One, to desire that it be healthy, transcends any titles you may have that express your relation to the faith. There should only be one title: Catholic. There should not be any adjectives, other than: Roman in front of the title.

Yet, so many try to pull as many over into their "camp" as possible. They want all of us to live in the Land of Broken Toys. I have enough of a challenge living in my own broken body without joining you in yours.

At every Mass the priest breaks the Sacred Host in his hands with an audible snap. This is the moment that Jesus dies on the Cross before our eyes. It is a moment of sadness before the jubilation to come. Pray that it is so.

Mary is entering the Benedictines of Mary Queen of Apostles in Kansas City, MO, on June 11th. Several local Catholic women threw a shower for her. The hostesses called it a Holy Spirit shower which is a great title but in many ways it was a bridal shower.

We gave Mary some gifts. She plans to keep studying Italian and she got an Italian book. She received some clothing that will be acceptable for her to wear in the convent.

Like many showers we played games. I arrived too late to play the Saint game-LOL! Ha-ha-ha! Yes, I was late. Way beyond fashionably late too. That's ok, because I looked at that Saint match game list and I would have bombed that as much as I would Swissmiss' Weekend Kneeler Jeopardy! That said, I won the "Guess which items Mary can or can not take with her to the convent" (deoderant ok, soap no, statue of Mary-ok, angel statue-no etc.) game. Mary said: "Hmmmm....there's room in the inn"

God help us.

I brought champagne. I know you are all shocked. LOL! We drank a toast to Mary.

It was really moving to hear Mary talk about her new order. Her new order. That's how she talks about it already. She is excited and happy. She has stories about her new sisters already. It was really a beautiful evening.

I've only just gotten to know Mary in the last year. When I first came to know her, it was thru her blogs. She was studying in Rome for several years. It was our blogs that brought us together. If I'm grateful for nothing else, it is the people blogs have brought into my life. If not for the blog, I may never have met them.

I'm going to miss Mary. I will miss her laugh and her energy. I will miss her photographs. I pray that one day we will meet again-you know what I mean. I asked her to pray for us as I will pray for her. Who else am I going to mess with regarding what to call me? ROFL! When Mary goes to introduce me to someone she usually gives up because she does not know if she should call me: Janice or Cathy. I'm of no help. I say: either is fine. LOL!

In true Mary fashion she gave away a lot of religious goods that she cannot take with her at this party. Several of them were blessed by Pope John Paul II. She was going thru her stack of prayer cards and she said: "Oh, Santa Prassede, that's YOU, Cathy!" and gave me the prayer card.

In true Mary fashion, she gives away more than she receives.

Speaking of receiving, Mary has raised over 1/2 of the money she needs to clear her debt before she enters the convent. However, she has about $8,000 remaining. Time is short. If you can help, please donate! Mary has information here

What a great and Holy way to spend that IRS economic stimulus check by giving all or part of it to cover the debt for a sister that is consecrating herself to Christ.

There will be a Mass of celebration, as Mary leave us to start her new life, at the Cathedral of St. Paul at 5:15 p.m. on June 6th (First Friday), Father Michael Skluzacek of St. John the Baptist in New Brighton, MN, and Mary's Spiritual Director, is scheduled to be the Celebrant.

May 07, 2008

40 is the New 30!!!!

We are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal. --2 Cor. 4:16-18

May 05, 2008

What If There Was Nothing Left for You to Blame?

There are people who are incapable of joy. There are people who are incapable of healing. There are people who make a living trying to see that you neither heal nor have joy. They want you to be as miserable as they are.

I'm reading how in the wake of the Holy Father's recent visit to the states the various organizations that claim to advocate for those who were sexually abused by clergy are scrambling to minimize the damage the Holy Father did to their organizations by surprising them when he met with 6 of the abused. They are probably irked that the Holy Father did not clear it with them first. Furthermore, they are probably upset that they've been screaming for years about how the hierarchy needs to apologize and here's the Hierarch of the Hierarchy doing just that. Now what? He just took the wind out of their sails. Now what else can they do but claim it wasn't enough and, thereby, expose their true motivation all along. It was never about the apology. Now, they've just confirmed what many of us have suspected.

How much is enough?

Frankly, for some it's never enough. No amount of money or apology is ever going to satisfy them. No amount of prayer or therapy is going to mitigate the nameless rage they feel. Sometimes I'm not even sure they know who or what they are really angry with anymore.

If the Holy Father's visit with the abused did anything it illuminated yet again how some of these outfits long ago quit advocating for the abuse victims. I was involved early on with one of these organizations and their claims to be for the abused were tenous even then. You could tell what they were really after-power.

Now they are exposing their true motivation-overturning the Church. They continue to, lamely, deny that but you've have to be under a rock not to see their protestations as weak. The abuse scandal just gave them a new weapon to use in a fight they were already in. Some of these folks were upset at Holy Church WELL before the abuse scandal hit. I'm convinced that some of these people don't give a ---- about the sexually abused. For them, it's about the same money and power that they claim the big, bad, Church has which is what they really want.

None of it has anything to do with Christ or His Church. It's all about who gets to set rules. Right now, these organizations believe they don't have it and they want it. Is replacing one authority with one of your own a solution for all of us or just for yourself? I've got news for you, ultimately, none of us has any authority.

Humans are flawed. We have capacity for evil and violence. The Church has the potential to be perfect, unfortunately, we humans frequently lack the ability to execute the model to make it so. This does not mean it should not be attempted. Our failings are not Christ's.

There are trads, and you probably know some, who are so enraged that all these "dopes" from the Novus Ordo in English are invading THEIR TLM they hardly know what to do with themselves. They won't go so far as into schism-thank God-but they spend a lot of time ranting on trad forums about the new folks who have dared to enter what used to be THEIR Mass, and they don't wear veils, and they don't understand it's not a dialogue Mass, they stick their hands out at Communion, blah, blah, blah. Rather than reaching out to their brothers and sisters and try to help them understand this treasure of Holy Church they spend all their time mumbling under their breath and glaring at everyone who's not one of "them" in the pews. Now that the historic battle of us vs. them that they lived by for decades is enjoying a truce they don't know how to react. Get over yourselves. You have something in common with the progs you despise. Progs think the Mass is theirs and so do you. You are both wrong.

There are people who just cannot let go. They must have something external to hate or be mad about. If it doesn't exist, they create it. I think because they are afraid to spend time in self-evaluation or looking at themself. It's easier to blame something else or someone else's actions, or lack therof, rather than your own. If you look within, you may see something that's really horrifying. If you examine yourself, you will see that what you have fooled yourself into believing are someone or something else's failings, are really yours.

May 04, 2008

48 Hours

Most Rev. John C. Nienstedt has been our Ordinary for 48 hours. Already, he's under indirect attack by those upset that Dr. Steven Miles was not allowed to speak at our favorite local parish, St. Joan of Arc. Never mind that His Excellency was not technically in charge last Wednesday when the "order" came from "on high". I know, from dissident friends that I spoke with today, that the "prog" crowd is "sure" that Archbishop Nienstedt is behind it.

They seem to have forgotten, in that first blush of looking wistfully back upon a leaving lover, that Archbishop Flynn did not always let them defy Christ's teachings without comment either. If I'm grateful for anything, it's that they are letting Archbishop Flynn go in peace. Actually, I find it highly amusing that the same crowd that villified Archbishop Flynn for years, now, wishes he would stay. Unfortunately, there's that "pesky" rule about retirement age. I guess that's another thing a certain crowd would like overturned-but only, like everything else, when it suits their purposes.

Note to His Excellency: Don't worry, it's only going to get worse! Pentecost is fast approaching and we locals know what that means and, unfortunately, it isn't only the Holy Spirit descending upon the Cathedral! If it means anything, be assured of my prayers and support.

Oh, where was I? What am I talking about? Who's Dr. Miles?

Dr. Steven Miles is an outspoken opponent of torture. God bless him for that! However, he is also a proponent of abortion. God does not bless him for that! He states he was not going to speak about abortion at St. Joan of Arc. Maybe so. But, people with a public record of opposition to Church teaching should not be speaking before Masses on Sunday in Catholic churches. Actually, public dissenters shouldn't be speaking at a Catholic institution period. But, gosh, what kind of a revolutionary statement is that! (*meow*)

I have no idea if Dr. Miles is Catholic. Leaving issues of his faith aside, it astounds me that folks that give their lives to a pro-life cause like ending torture of a human being, fail to grasp the concept that they are advocating torture of a defenseless human in the womb thru the violence done to them by abortion. Women having abortions are tortured. Men are tortured by abortion.

One of the many reasons the "prog" set lost me is they have no reasoning or continuity in their thought or in how they live the Faith. They pick and choose and throw things together that make absolutely no sense whatsoever to anyone but themselves. How in the world anyone can scream about what we are doing to the planet, yet fail to, even at the most rudimentary level, permit themselves to wonder what we are doing to human life is beyond my limited comprehension to grasp.

I seem to recall some Popes speaking out against torture so for those who say the Church is silent about torture, you are wrong. I will grant you that perhaps relative to torture, faithful Catholics speak more forcefully and more often on the evils of abortion. However, it's not that I believe the Church is saying torture is fine. It's that the Church is trying time and again to get us, ALL OF US, to see the seamless garment, the consistent ethic of life but their pleas are falling on deaf ears. The professional protestors are too busy running to their next protest to bother to read what the Church is actually saying anyway. Meanwhile, the folks who think abortion is wrong aren't listening either because they should also be objecting to torture. There's weakness in the arguments on both sides.

To get around this latest "directive" St. Joan's distributed copies in Church of what Dr. Miles would have said today anyway. Furthermore, the event was moved to the Carondelet Center for Tuesday evening. I fail to understand how moving this pro-abort speaker to the former novitiate for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet on the grounds of the College of St. Catherine is supposed to satisfy anyone who is concerned that pro-aborts are speaking in Catholic institutions.

The Sisters still run and own the Carondelet Center. Even though their press says the Center is adjoining the Campus it is ON the Campus grounds. All you have to do is walk across the lawn behind O'Shaughnessy Auditorium and there's the Carondelet Center.

Somedays, I wonder how wonderful it would be to have an actual Catholic college for women run by a strong and Magisterium faithful order of nuns. I think how wonderful it would be to encourage women to, not only be critical thinkers (they do that well at St. Kate's) but also how to love and advocate for your Faith. They taught me to see my Faith as oppression, they should see it as liberation the way I do now. In my humble opinion, I still think they taught me the wrong liberation theology. Well, that's probably for a future post, since I could rant at length and now I'm ending this post off-topic. Oh, well, it's my blog and I can rant if I want to!

May 02, 2008

Mary Month of May!

Archbishop John C. Nienstedt is now, as of today, officially, the Ordinary of this Archdiocese! Please keep His Excellency, as well as retiring Archbishop Harry J. Flynn in your prayers.

Tomorrow morning at St. Anthony of Padua the Chant Schola (Hey, you guys need a name!) consisting of a few local bloggers of the male sex is chanting at the 8:30 a.m. Mass. I've been told that this is their second to last performance before they pack it in for the summer (slackers! :-)) A Holy Hour with Rosary, Benediction and Confessions begins at 7:30 a.m.

A reliable source informs me that Terry was spotted on Penn Avenue North and I-394 mapping out his plan of attack for the Bryn Mawr Garage Sale event tomorrow. It's astonishing to me that Terry was: a) recognizable, b) out in public, c) stood still long enough to be recognized before he ran away.